Tell Me a Scary Story… But Not Too Scary! (Book & Audio CD) by Carl Reiner

Description

A little boy has an adventure in the scary basement of his mysterious new neighbor, Mr. Neewollah.

Editorial Review

For all those kids who love to be scared on Halloween–but not too scared, award-winning director and comedy writer Carl Reiner produces a real spine chiller. He also offers plenty of outs for the faint of heart: “Is it getting too scary for you? Should I keep going? Okay, if you say so.” No red-blooded young reader will be able to resist this tantalizing tale of monsters and mystery. The narrator (depicted by Jerry Seinfeld's Halloween illustrator, James Bennett, to look exactly like Carl Reiner) cozies up with his granddaughter to tell her all about the man he met when he was a child: Mr. Neewollah. Mr. Neewollah has a crooked smile (we have several creepy child's-eye views) and some very strange hobbies. Young Carl is lured into his basement workshop only to be scared out of his wits by fake eyeballs, creaking doors, and creepy things covered with cloth–not to mention hideous monsters. But is Mr. Neewollah truly as sinister as he seems?

In his first book for children, Reiner gets that kids love to be spooked–and to know that all is well, too. Bennett's exaggerated illustrations, featuring weird angles and vivid, in-your-face close-ups, are a good match for Reiner’s Halloween tale. Too busy in your own evil workshop to read aloud to the kids? Fear not! The book includes a CD featuring Reiner reading the story accompanied by eerie sound effects. (Ages 6 to 9) –Emilie Coulter